A continuous stream of frustrated huffs, puffs, and grumbles flowed from Twilight's muzzle as she made her way into Ponyville. The clacking of her hooves on the road rang heavily as the weight of anger and indignation brought them down hard with each step. She was so caught up in her fuss that she didn't even notice as she started weaving in and out of a small crowd, years of reading while walking kicking in. She skirted past tall figures that loomed above her, hardly batting an eye.
Spike, however, looked around warily from his perch on her back. He was all too aware of the tracking gazes of various humans that bored into them.
While the streets towards the edge of town had been completely abandoned, they were becoming more and more crowded as they moved deeper in. Neither of them had seen a single pony out and about yet, but these humans were wandering somewhat aimlessly around the town. They had probably terrified all of the ponies into their homes by now. Canterlot had definitely been lucky to have someone like Commander Asuna there to help the Royal Guard keep the peace, but Ponyville had no such luck.
"That Animus," Twilight muttered to herself as she kept moving forward. "I try to be nice, and he just treats me like the bad guy!" This is why she preferred books to other... creatures. Ponies or humans; whenever she actually did try to connect, it always blew up in her face! Why? Was she doing something wrong? Because this time it certainly didn't feel like it.
"Studying him like a book? Hah!" she scoffed to herself, "He wishes. I actually like books!"
"Twilight, you love books," Spike quipped, aiming a pointed look at the back of her head.
A fresh flush of red filled Twilight's cheeks. "Oh who asked you?"
The squabbling between the two of them was cut short as a loud ruckus began farther ahead of them. The humans all around started to swarm in on the sudden point of interest. With nothing else to occupy themselves, these humans were jumping at any chance to do or see something, it seemed.
Twilight was about to shrug the unknown incident off when a harsh voice cut through the din of the crowd, "Watch where the hell you're going, you damn stupid horse."
Another pony that was out and about the city? Looking back, she could see a look of similar concern on Spike's face. There was no way they could just walk by after hearing that.
"She's not a horse, she's a pegasus pony," another voice shouted back at the first. "Besides, you're the one who should have watched where you were going. You just bowled into her and knocked her over."
The noise from the crowd grew even louder, and the argument within was drowned out. There was only one way to fix that. Bringing the spell into her mind, Twilight and Spike vanished in a flash of light, reappearing in the strong lower branches of a tree near the incident. Twilight quickly analyzed the situation from above, having a clear side view of everything.
On her left was a young human boy standing with his arms spread wide. The boy had short black hair and bright blue eyes that held unmistakable defiance and conviction in them. His body was trembling slightly, but he didn't give any indication of moving.
The reason for his defiant stance knelt right behind the boy. Propped up on one knee was a pegasus mare with a pale yellow coat and a light pink mane. The look on her face was one of fear and uncertainty as she peered around the protective child.
When Twilight looked to her right, she saw a man with light orange hair spiked out in little pyramids, like a morning star. He had a vicious sneer on his face as he looked down on the boy, and the pony he protected. There was no shortage of that venom in his gaze as it flicked over to Twilight and Spike on their perch.
Looking back to the boy, the angry man spat, "You've got a lot of nerve, you little brat. What the hell do you think you're doing protecting these freaks?"
Twilight was about to give this guy a piece of her mind for that remark, but she was cut off by the distinct flash of Casts manifesting. The child hefted an enormous sword up over his shoulder, letting it crash down on the ground in front of him in a display of massive strength. The gray steel blade, from hilt to tip, was easily as long as he was tall, and the width was as broad as he was from shoulder to shoulder.
Both Twilight and Spike's mouths hung agape, much like those of many of the other observers. This game was just full of surprises. Even if it was because of the mechanics of the system, the fact that such a young child could swing such an enormous weapon was astonishing. Then again, it would be rather odd for his Casts to create a weapon that was too heavy for him to wield.
The child gritted his teeth angrily. "They're not freaks. Miss Fluttershy and the other ponies are living creatures that think and feel just like we do."
That boy... Twilight was genuinely surprised to see another human protecting a pony. Sure, Asuna was well beyond warm and kind, but she'd seemed like the exception rather than the rule when compared to Animus. That man was a strange one. No matter how she had tried, she had no idea what was going through his head.
The cold eyes of the arrogant man swept over the child and his weapon, then to Fluttershy cowering behind him, and finally Twilight and Spike again. The look of stone cold killing intent in the man's eyes was enough to make Twilight's knees wobble, but she held firm. She wasn't going to show that she was intimidated. Not to this guy.
As though he could see right through her facade, a sadistic sneer crossed the man's face. That look sent a chill down Twilight's spine, and she suddenly felt Spike's trembling arms wrap around her neck. With a grunt, the man looked to the crowd all around him. He lifted his arms up and spoke to his captive audience, "Living creatures? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Then again, what would you expect from some naive little brat?" He pointed to the boy, Casts winking into being around his hands as dark and heavy looking leather armor formed along his body. From his fingers sprouted a simple two-handed broadsword with a wide half ring hilt.
"You should watch who you turn your blade on, kid," he snarled, raising his voice higher for all to hear. "You think these things are alive? They may be pretty convincing, but when all is said and done, they're nothing but code. They're just glorified NPCs or monsters, and once I know the sides, I'll kill as many of them as I have to in order to get out of this damn place."
The bold declaration sent murmurs through the crowd. This only pushed the man further, as he stepped forward and stamped his foot on the boy's blade. His boot pressed down on the large weapon and sent red splintering lines into the ground with the blade sinking in. His lips split into an arrogant grin as the boy glared up at him. His small arms trembled as he tried to lift his weapon up, only for it to be pressed further down.
Twilight glowered from her vantage point. Her mind was flipping through possible actions she could take. She wanted to help the boy, and shoot the man away with the concussive shots of her impact driver, but whirling thoughts held her back. From what Animus had taught her, inside town should be a safe zone, and so there was really no actual danger in the present situation unless a duel was started. Attacks could be thrown around, but no actual damage would be taken.
However, if she did act, she might be attacked by the onlookers. With him having whipped them up and into his side of the argument, they were likely to see her as a hostile threat if she responded with violence. On the other hand, if she tried to talk it out, he was just as likely to refute anything she could say with the same arguments he'd given the child. Ponies, or people like him; they never listened.
"Don't call me 'kid'," the boy growled. He struggled and failed to lift his weapon from under the oppressive foot. "My name is Kai, and if you dare hurt Fluttershy, I'll knock you flat!"
What could she do? Twilight looked back to Spike on her back, hoping that the little dragon had one of his occasional nuggets of wisdom to share. He looked no less helpless than she did. There was unmistakable anger in his eyes, and while one arm remained clasped around her neck, the other gripped painfully at the back of her mane. Neither of them had any ideas.
The man burst out laughing. "You're gonna knock me flat? Yeah right, " he mocked Kai. "You're, what, ten years old? Maybe eleven tops? A brat like you doesn't stand a chance. I survived the Sword Art Online incident seven years ago. The name's Kibau, and I was the second in command of the Liberation Army, one of the top guilds in SAO."
Sword Art Online? Those words carried a huge weight with them. Twilight could see from how the crowd suddenly got very quiet.
Kibau had them all eating out of the palm of his hand, and he knew it. In a showy display, he swept his broadsword around, gesturing to them all. "I've survived Sword Art Online, and I know I can survive this damn colorful horse world too. I don't care what it throws at us, we're gonna get the hell out of here and back home no matter what it takes, am I right?"
His boasts were answered by a loud roar of approval from the crowd. Sure, putting herself in their place, Twilight could understand that if she had been pulled into their world, all she would care about would be getting home... Okay that was a lie, she'd be studying their world and culture for weeks on end or even longer, but she would really want to be home too. However, the total apathy on display here was appalling to her. How could they be so casually malicious and callous to not just other creatures, but also their own kind?
Kibau sneered at Kai, "Now get out of my way, brat. I'm gonna make an example of that yellow horse there."
Twilight's blood to turned to ice in her veins. The killing intent coming from him made every instinct in her scream to run away, but she choked it down and stood her ground. Despite that, her mind was deadlocked trying to figure out how she could help without making things worse.
Kibau lifted his blade up beside him, the blade becoming coated in red light as a skill started to build up. The tip of his sword was aimed around Kai and right at Fluttershy, whose eyes were wide with terror.
"No!" four voices screamed in unison. Twilight's own shout blended together with Spike's, Kai's and another's as Kibau thrust his blade.
That fourth voice revealed itself in that instant. A rush of soft green and dark brown rammed through the crowd from in its midst. Humans were bowled over in a chaotic clamor, and the teal glow of another skill lasered out and clashed with the crimson light of Kibau's skill.
"What?!" Kibau growled as his weapon was halted in place. The lights of both skills faded to reveal a Cast gauntlet gripping the blade tightly, clinging to it with fingers tipped with razor points.
Wearing these clawed Casts was a woman in a plain and homely brown dress highlighted with parts of forest green. She had short brown hair that stopped just at her jawline in the back, but swept up near her cheekbones as it ran forward. This line accentuated the glasses she wore, the lenses flaring over her emerald eyes in the fading evening light.
Without a word the woman lifted up her other clawed hand, thrusting it forward in a gleam of yellow. The razor nails were halted mere centimeters from his chest by some invisible force. The air at that point seemed to ripple before the force of the blow struck Kibau in full, lifting his foot up off of Kai's blade and sending him skidding back a few feet.
Kai and Fluttershy looked up in surprise at the woman who had come to their rescue, to which she returned a warm smile. That smile vanished as she swept a livid glare over Kibau, who yanked his blade free of her grip and took a step forward, brandishing it for another strike.
"You bitch, do yo-," he started to take another step forward, but froze in place as a small wave of yellow light flowed over his body from head to toe. His limbs shook, as though he were pushing himself forward with all of his might, but he didn't budge an inch. "What the hell did you do to me?!"
He didn't get a chance to yell more, as with a crack and clank of his enormous blade leaving the earth, Kai rushed forward. The young boy pulled the weapon close to his body and spun in place as he activated a skill of his own. The very wind around him was sent into a flurry as the blade whipped out on the return spin, colliding it full on with Kibau's midsection. There was the same momentary pause of the blade just before, and an even larger ripple effect, then the shockwave took effect. Observers dove aside in a panic, breaking their ringas Kibau was sent flying backward like a cannonball. He struck the wall of a house with a sickening crack and a pained gasp. Only a second later, a narrow current of winds to struck against him, continuing the assault. The winds kicked up a large trail of dust along their path before dying out.
"Incredible," Spike whispered in wonder. "He even turned the air into a weapon."
Twilight could only nod in stunned agreement with his statement. Just two moves and the entire confrontation had been turned around. How though?
As the dust settled, Kibau was revealed slouched against the wall of the home, clutching his stomach in pain. The wall, which probably should have been crushed in the impact, was perfectly fine, a small icon appearing along its surface that read «Immortal Object».
"You really must not have done your homework when we got trapped in this game," the woman glared at Kibau, turning around and helping Fluttershy to her hooves. "This game has more differences from SAO than you'd think. Sword skills here aren't all simple attacks. Some of them have special effects now."
Once Fluttershy nodded that she was alright, the woman turned back to Kibau once more. "For instance, the first skill I used was one called «Blade Grasp». It allows me to catch a blow and interrupt other sword skills. My second was «Nerve Point»," she leered through her spectacles as she pushed them farther up on her nose. Both the lenses and the razor claws of her Cast glinted fiercely in the light. "That skill causes three seconds of temporary paralysis at the area I strike. Since I hit your chest, your whole body was paralysed. These are skills of my talon class weapon."
"Then there's my zanbato skill," Kai added, hefting his large weapon onto his shoulder with both arms, "«Tempest Wave» is a two strike skill. The winds created by the force of the first strike become a projectile that fires in the path of the swing."
"It's shameful," the woman clenched her fist in front of her. Her whole body was trembling as she shouted, "Using Sword Art Online as a reason for your way to be the right way. You're not the only person that had to suffer through that hell, Kibau of the Aincrad Liberation Army." She spat his name with an unmistakable malice.
"I used to live in the Town of Beginnings seven years ago. The very town that the Army called home, and I remember your name all too well," she continued as Kibau slowly pulled himself to his feet. What this woman was saying was clearly upsetting him. "You and your followers in the Army were absolute terrors, harming players and NPCs alike and extorting money. You even tried to get the leader of your guild killed in a dungeon so that you could take over."
A number of the once admiring looks of the crowd turned to scorn and disgust towards Kibau, who could only fume in impotent rage as his attempts to side people with him were ripped apart with just a few words. That didn't stop him from sticking to his convictions though, as he shot back, "Thinker was a weak fool, and because of him, our guild had stagnated while all the other guilds were getting stronger. I was going to turn us around so we could beat that game and return to the real world." He swung his broadsword through the air in a show of convicted anger. "We needed as many strong players on the front lines as possible back then!"
"And you were willing to kill a good man to accomplish that?" she retorted. "I'm sick of your self-serving excuses. Get the hell out of my sight."
At the woman's harsh words, half of the crowd that had been watching the incident play out stepped away. However, much to Twilight's bewilderment and frustration, rather than going on their way, the group walked over and stood beside Kibau. One of them offered him a shoulder to lean on, which he gladly accepted with a pained smirk.
"Why are you-?" Kai began to ask, but was stopped by a clawed hand on his shoulder.
The woman looked down at him and shook her head, the slightly smaller remains of the crowd moved to stand behind them. "Let it be," she said softly, a stark change from the hostility she displayed just moments before.
"But-," he tried to argue.
"We can't force any decision on them," she interrupted. "It's their choice to make, even if we don't like it."
"Once this game really starts, you better watch your backs," Kibau called back as he and his new followers walked away. "Next time I won't be caught off guard and beaten so easily."
When Kibau and his group disappeared down an adjacent road, Fluttershy, Kai, and the woman let out relieved sighs together. Twilight even let out a long breath, and heard a similar puff of air from Spike. Neither of them had realized they'd been holding their breath.
A soft voice reached Twilight's ears, bringing her attention down to where Fluttershy was bowing her head. "Th-thank you so much for protecting me from that scary guy," she said in gratitude. "How can I ever thank you, Kai, and Miss..."
"Oh right, I'm Sasha," she introduced herself, letting her gauntlets disperse. "No thanks are necessary." Her eyes turned up and looked straight at Twilight and Spike in the tree, causing the unicorn and dragon to jerk in surprise. "You can come down now," she called with a warm smile.
Twilight felt a little tentative at first, with how ferocious Sasha had just been. The warmth of that smile eased her nerves somehow. She really didn't seem like a bad person.
All eyes riveted up to the tree just in time to see the flash of light as Twilight teleported. A few even jumped in surprise as she and Spike appeared in their midst in the next instant.
"Thank Celestia you showed up!" Spike exclaimed after shaking a little dizziness off. "I don't even wanna think about what would have happened if you hadn't stopped that Kibau jerk."
Fluttershy seemed to perk up with immense interest upon seeing Spike, taking a few steps closer as Twilight apologized, "I'm sorry for just watching all of that. I didn't know what to do."
"No," Sasha shook her head, "it's good that you didn't take action. I think Kibau was trying to goad you into attacking him so he could spin it to his advantage." With a short nod of thanks to the crowd, they all started to spread out and return to how they had been before. There was more tension in the air now, after such a violent incident.
"It's better that I stepped in, instead of you," she smiled, knitting her fingers together. "Besides, part of why I wanted to save Fluttershy was to thank her."
"Thank me?" Fluttershy asked meekly, bewildered. "What for?"
"Because of what you've been doing for the children," Sasha explained happily. "Back during that Sword Art Online game that was mentioned before, I took in children in the Town of Beginnings who were too young or scared to fight. I did as much as I could to protect them and give them a place to be happy. Fluttershy is doing the exact same thing now, finding children here in Ponyville and bringing them to her home so they'll be safe."
"Wow, that's incredibly kind of you," Twilight blinked in surprise, taking a little step towards a blushing Fluttershy.
The flush mare shirked back. Her face was a deep crimson as she mumbled softly, "I-I just wanted to help them. They looked so scared after they heard that they couldn't go home. Everypony else seemed too scared to leave their houses and help them." She flopped back on her haunches and threw slender yellow forelimbs over her muzzle. She squeaked out, "I mean, it was terrifying, but I couldn't just let those poor little creatures stay alone and scared could I?"
"Miss Fluttershy found me about two hours ago," Kai explained as he walked over, giving the shy pegasus a hug. The mare gave another squeak, but didn't pull away like she had from Twilight. "She's kinda a scaredy-cat, so I decided to go around town with her and protect her. I'm playing the big strong knight! Protector of the sweet and innocent, pony or human!"
"That's so cool, think I could be a knight too?" Spike beamed, hopping off of Twilight's back.
Twilight rolled her eyes as Kai grinned wide. The boy examined Spike up and down and asked, "Ever fought before?"
"Umm... No," was the hesitant answer.
"Heh, that's no problem," Kai smirked mischievously. "Agree to become my page, and I'll show you how to fight, no sweat!"
Spike was absolutely aglow with excitement, reaching a claw up to shake. "You've got a- OWOWOW! Watch the frills Twilight!" he yelped as an aura of magenta magic tugged him away by his frilled ear. Kai gave similar protests as Sasha tugged him back by his own ear.
No way was her little dragon going to be throwing himself into danger. No sir. "You aren't going to be fighting anything, Spike. You're going to stay where it's safe," Twilight said with absolute authority.
"And you, young man, won't be putting yourself or others in harm's way with your silly antics," Sasha agreed with equal conviction. "Fluttershy and I will be taking you back to her house. You'll stay where it's safe with the other children."
"Aww!" the two youngsters groaned in unison. "That's not fa-"
Both were cut off by a stern glare from Sasha, the intensity of which could only be guessed at beneath the fierce glare of light from her glasses as she pushed them up once more. Fluttershy giggled softly at the stern disciplining.
The young human and dragon went very quiet very quickly, and Sasha once again turned to a warm, comforting smile. "I'm very sorry," she bowed her head slightly as she apologized, "I've neglected to ask your names."
"My name is Twilight Sparkle, and this is Spike," the introductions came promptly. Twilight dipped her head in return while Spike nursed an aching frill.
"I really don't mean to be rude or anything, but we need to be going. We came from Canterlot to try to figure out everything that's going on," she explained vaguely. No need to mention Nightmare Moon right now and have information about her spreading, and especially with somepony as timid as Fluttershy right there.
That was right, Nightmare Moon was coming tonight. With the high of the previous tension winding down, Twilight's mind came right back to the reason she had come here. Preparations had to be made. She needed to be ready for it, but for that she might need a little more research.
"Do you happen to know where the local library is," Twilight asked Fluttershy. There wouldn't be as much wealth of information in a little town like this compared to, say, the royal archives. Nevertheless, it was the closest township to the old ruins of the Princesses' castle. There could be some useful information somewhere around here. Plus, if she couldn't find anything, she would have an isolated space to continue studying all the information and functions she could find in the player menus.
The pegasus mare nodded and pointed down the road further into town. "If you just head down this way, you'll reach the town square. From there, take the west path and it should take you right by the library. Oh, but you really should be careful around the square. That's where most of the humans are." Fluttershy's eyes shot down to her hooves as she mumbled, "I've been going around in the side roads instead of through the plaza. A lot of the humans there look really scary."
"I don't blame you," Sasha sighed, shaking her head, "A few fights have broken out around there already. A lot of the seedier and more aggressive players seem to be hanging around there while the others stay farther out." She idly tapped her fingers on her hip, her brow creased with worry as she added, "On top of that, all but a handful of the braver ponies are shut in their homes. That's probably for the best though, given everyone's emotional state."
Twilight nodded soberly, but lifted Spike in the glow of her magic in a bid to make a quick exit. There was no time for idle chit-chat anymore. She'd already let the incident with Kibau distract her from her mission.
Heading down the way Fluttershy had indicated, Twilight thanked the two of them and repeated short apologies. A moment later she was on her way. She really hoped that there might be some detail she could find that would help her fix all of this. Maybe some information on the Elements of Harmony that would help her even though they'd been deleted? At this point, she'd take just about any option she could find to end all of this before it could truly begin.
Still standing at ground zero of the heated conflict, Sasha and Fluttershy started to discuss taking Kai back when a large poof of pink popped up beside the child. They gave a start as the new arrival chimed in out of the blue, "Heya everypony! Oops, everypony wouldn't be right would it? Everyhuman? No, Fluttershy is left out then..." She started to mumble quietly to herself, adopting an interestingly serious expression as she tried to solve her little conundrum.
Though surprised, Fluttershy was relieved to see her friend. The smile on her face was more than proof of that. "Hello Pinkie. Um, if you don't mind, could you please not pop up so suddenly next time?" she asked.
"Oh, oki doki, Fluttershy," Pinkie perked up. Looking to the others she beamed, "Heya Kai. Heya Sasha."
"Just as energetic as before," Kai chuckled to himself at the perpetual pep of the perky pink pony.
"You remembered our names," Sasha noted, impressed. "I take it you've finished trying to welcome every last new arrival here in Ponyville?" The pink mare had been quite vocal about her mission before.
Her words seemed to make something click in Pinkie's head, and she revealed a surprising smirk. "Yeah, I got to everyone except one last pony," she answered, chest swelling with pride. Her tone was more level than before as she spoke, but still held that unmistakable mischievous mirth. "I've got a special surprise in mind now, too."
Looking around secretively, Pinkie pulled the three of them in and whispered in a hushed tone. Each of them nodded periodically before breaking the impromptu huddle.
"Sounds like a lot of fun!" Kai snickered, clasping his hands behind his head.
"Sure, I think it'll do some good," Sasha agreed.
"Do you think some animals would be alright? The children have been loving them so much, and I'm sure it would make them even happier," Fluttershy requested in earnest.
"Of course," Pinkie nodded. "Be sure to bring them all along. Do you think you could also go get Rarity on the way?" Planning mode engaged as Pinkie started to list details off. "Last I saw her she was at the boutique using a human girl to try to make new designs. Tell her there will be a lot more specimens for her to work designs off of there. Try to get that Lisbeth girl to come too. Maybe tell her there will be a lot of Casts for her to examine. Trust me, that should do the trick. Got it all?"
Eyes spinning from the overflow of information all at once, Fluttershy tried to piece it together simply, "Rarity; design inspiration. Human girl; Casts. Um, that's it, right?"
"Atta' girl, Fluttershy," Pinkie nodded vigorously.
Only a few more little details were discussed before Pinkie evacuated the area. All she gave was a claim that she had something super important to do on her own, and vanished as quickly as she had come, leaving the others to go about as they had discussed. There was one common thought on all of their minds.
With everything that was happening, something like this was very much needed.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Animus stopped along his chosen path as a strong grumble passed through his stomach. Hungry. He had some bits from the two timberwolves he and Twilight had taken turns fighting earlier, so maybe he could get something. It couldn't cost too much, could it?
Looking around, however, price didn't seem to be the real issue at present. Even if he could afford it, there were empty grocery stalls scattered all around, and any actual houses of business were locked up tight. There were no NPCs in this world just running shops and the like automatically. No active shopkeepers meant he wouldn't be able to get so much as a fruit or vegetable to curb his hunger pangs. There weren't even that many other humans in this area, just a few scattered up and down the road.
One of these humans caught Animus' attention though. A broad-shouldered giant of a man with dark skin and a bald head. He was knelt down in front of the pony-sized counter of a shaded stall, holding up a bright red apple that just about made Animus' mouth water. It looked so sweet and juicy to his ravenous eyes, and the signals of his hunger only grew stronger at the sight. Upon closer inspection, it looked like this stall actually had baskets filled to the brim with colorful apples on either side.
Curious, he walked up to the stall, and as he got closer, he saw two ponies standing behind the counter, talking with the large man. One was a large, bulky stallion with a vibrant maroon coat and a large yoke around his neck, while the other was a smaller mare with an orange coat. Both of them had the same blonde manes. The stallion's was shorter and ruffled while the mare's mane flowed out from under a wide-brimmed stetson hat, and ironically enough was tied into a ponytail.
As he got closer, the conversation between them came into focus.
"There ain't no way ah could ever feel right chargin' folks forty bits a pound fer our apples," the mare shook her head obstinately. "That's more than twice the price they normally go for."
"Now just hear me out, Applejack," the large man said calmly, "You see, I did just a little hunting of wild monsters outside of town earlier today. Just from one weak enemy I got an easy ten bits. So with just four kills I'd have enough to buy a pound of apples, and that was just from easy fights. Economics are gonna take a big turn really quickly around here, and you gotta stay ahead of the game if you wanna do well."
This was certainly an interesting conversation. Seeing as how he hadn't been noticed just yet, Animus hung back a ways and listened to the debate taking place.
"And how in tarnation would hiking the prices of mah wares do that, Agil?" Applejack questioned, clearly skeptical.
As if to demonstrate a point, the man named Agil took a bite out of the apple he was holding. "Now, I may not know what else this world has to offer, but your apples have to be the best I've ever tasted. There's no doubt in my mind that others would be more than willing to spend a little time fighting to get the money together to pay for them. And since bits are so easy to come by, that means that prices of other items are gonna take a rise too. It's basic inflation principle." With a smile he took another bite before continuing, "Not only would you be ahead of that curve, but your prices would actually encourage players to go out and get stronger to get more money, which can only be good for your alliance. Plus you could charge quite a bit more for those baked goods you mentioned to further increase profits and support growth. If you're aggressive with your prices you can even have some extra scratch to help others with in any way you choose."
This guy really knew his stuff. Animus was thoroughly impressed, and Applejack, though still a bit uncertain, seemed to see the logic in his statements. Looking to the stallion beside her, she asked, "Whadya think Big Macintosh?"
The broad-shouldered male, stoic up till that point, looked pensive for a moment before answering, "Makes sense tah me. If things are changin' that much, we're gonna need prices that match that."
"I knew you'd see things my way," Agil laughed. "I'm something of a merchant myself, so I understand how hard running a shop can be in this sort of situation. Since you two were brave enough to come out and try to provide a little food for us humans, I wanted to give a little advice, businessman to businesspony."
"It's mighty appreciated, partner," Applejack relaxed, uncertainty leaving her. "If more humans are like ya'll, we might be able to get through this here crazy situation alright."
The laugh that followed from Agil was a bit off and forced. His shoulders slouched a bit and he mused, "Yeah, let's hope everything turns out for the best." His somber tone brought a touch of worry to the ponies.
With the conversation seemingly reaching an end, Animus resumed his approach. Applejack and Big Mac perked up at his arrival. Kneeling down by the counter, he shifted through his menu to retrieve ten bits, sliding the golden coins onto the counter. "This should get me one apple, right?" he asked.
Applejack nodded and tipped her head to the side to indicate he could take one. More than happy to do so, he picked up a particularly shiny red delicious and crunched into it. A low hum of bliss escaped his throat as the flavor hit home. Agil had been right, these apples were amazing. Better than any he'd had back home.
"You know, it isn't very polite to eavesdrop on others, kid," Agil interrupted. "How else could you have known to offer ten bits for one apple?"
Animus shrugged, caught in the act. "I didn't mean any harm by it. Just couldn't help but be curious about an interesting conversation," he answered truthfully before pushing himself back to his feet. Not really intent on talking, more concerned with how he should prepare for tonight, he waved a bit on his way out. "Thanks for the food." he said as he left.
"That guy's an odd one," Applejack said, eyes tracking Animus as he walked off.
"We all have our issues and our ways to deal with them," Agil nodded. "He's done no real harm, so no need to worry about it."
When the apple stall was well out of sight behind him, Animus deftly tossed his meal into the air and caught it. Sure, he wanted to prepare for tonight, but how exactly should he do that? As much as he hated to admit it, he'd probably have a bit more direction if he had stuck with nosey Twilight.
Animus stopped mid-step as he felt a tap on his shoulder. Whirling around, he found... Nothing.
"What the-" he began to say, but he never finished as a he felt a blow strike the back of his head. The blow itself wasn't that strong, but in the next instant he felt his eyelids grow heavy and fall. His body went limp, and he crumpled to the ground like a rag doll.
The last thing he heard was an all-too familiar voice giggling and exclaiming, "Phase one complete!"